1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to musical devices. More specifically, the invention is directed to a musical or percussion instrument garment for amateur or professional musicians for producing extemporaneous music, virtually in any location.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous tone generating devices have been devised which provide the added feature or advantage of simply being a portable device. Most of the conventional features are directed, however, to hand manipulable devices or motion control devices which produces a sound as by-product of the operable device and not as a primary feature. Normally, a tone generating apparatus includes a special circuit which controls the tone via detected movements of the body of a user to control a sound pitch, sound volume, etc. While there have been some wearable devices that produce sound via an air filled bladder and sound element, there has yet been the development of a musical percussion garment that provides extemporaneous induced rhythmic sounds with the utilization of a series of piezoelectric transducers as herein described.
The related art is represented by the following references of interest.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,165, issued on Jun. 3, 1969 to Doris Brosk, describes a combination garment and toy wherein a pocket is adapted to resemble an animal having movable parts. When a child places its hand in the pocket and manipulates the hand, the pocket simulates animation. A similar feature is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,323, issued on Feb. 9, 1988 to John C. Wright, Jr., which describes an activity bib worn by an adult for interaction with a child. There are pull tabs, flaps, and the like, which simulate animation. The Brosk and Wright, Jr. patents do not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,585, issued on Mar. 30, 1982 to James P. Liautaud, describes a personal electronic listening system wherein moisture-protected speakers are electrically connected for operation to a personal electronic unit, namely a stereo attached to a wearer by a belt. The speaker units have pins projecting therefrom which serve to mount the speaker units in the vicinity of the wearer""s ears by penetration of the pins through an article of clothing on a wearer in the vicinity of the ears. A corresponding clip engages the pin after penetration of the clothing. Each pin is electrically connected to the speaker and engagement clips are connected to each pin via the cable from the personal electronic unit. The Liautaud patent does not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,516, issued on Jan. 13, 1987 to Giancarlo Giannini, describes a tone generating glove comprising a series of switches. The switches are connected to the tone generating circuit, and both switches and the tone generating circuit are mounted in the glove. The tone generating glove includes a transmitter for transmitting the tone or tones that are produced to an AM or FM receiver. The Giannini patent does not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,563,951 and 5,757,929 issued, respectfully, on Oct. 8, 1996 and May 26, 1988, to Weijia Wang et al., describes an audio interface garment for personal communication production. A garment member is worn on the torso having a neck opening and adapted with an audio output device capable of producing hi-fidelity spatialized 3-D sound. The sound device is located adjacent the neck opening of the garment member for generating sound aimed in selected directions. A receiver capable of receiving at least one transmitted signal and producing an audio signal based thereupon is coupled to the audio output device. An audio input device capable of capturing spatialized 3-D sound from selected directions is located adjacent the neck opening of the garment member. The audio input signal is transmitted to a remote transceiver. The Wang et al. patents do not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,238, issued on Oct. 24, 1989 to Ruth Solomon et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,335, issued on Dec. 8, 1998 to Floleather Twitty, describe garments capable of playing a musical tone and making noise, respectively. The Soloman et al. patent describes a T-shirt comprising a memory chip, a battery a speaker and a single fixed musical element disposed therein which plays music when actuated. The Twitty patent describes a noise making garment which produces sounds when noise pads are compressed as well as providing reinforced areas where wear is likely to occur.
Each noise pad comprises a deformable bladder with a flexible wall that permits deformation of the bladder. The flexible wall defines an interior air chamber that holds air. A valve with a noise making device extends through the flexible wall of the bladder to permit the passage of air from the interior air chamber through the valve when the bladder is deformed. The noise making device creates an audible sound when air passes through the valve. The noise pad is located at each knee region towards the front of the garment, at each elbow region towards the back of the garment, and at each sole region. The Solomon et al. and Twitty patents do not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
Wearable devices which provide noise generating features are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,127,301, 5,170,002 and 5,192,823, issued, respectfully, on Jul. 7, 1992, Dec. 8, 1992, and Mar. 9, 1992, to Hideo Suzuki et al. Each wearable device described therein has a main body for electrically detecting and controlling a musical tone by having special detectors attached thereto and at various locations of the body of a user such that when a particular joint of the body is moved a tone pitch, tone volume or a tone color of a musical tone is controlled by the detected movement. The detected movement includes movement of rings and drum sticks for simulating controlled sound. The Suzuki et al. patents do not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,146, issued on Jun. 28, 1988 to Brock Seiler, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,529 and U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 36,387, issued, respectfully, on Aug. 1, 1995 and Nov. 9, 1999, to Louis B. Rosenberg et al., each describe percussion instruments with digital output control. The Seiler patent describes a portable set of electronic drum units which attach to different parts of a musician""s body to provide maximum mobility for stage performances. An impulse analyzer processes and amplifies the resulting sound (induced by impact with a stet of drum sticks) for application to a loud speaker. Similar digital processing provided for percussion instruments are described in the Rosenberg et al. patent and reissue patent. The Seiler and Rosenberg et al. patents do not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,047, issued on Feb. 20, 1996, to Ignazus P. Oliveri, U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,797, issued on Jun. 9, 1998 to David J. Loendorf, U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,709, issued on Sep. 22, 1998 to Alfonso M. Adinolfi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,579, issued on Sep. 29, 1998 to James H. Boyden, and German patent document DE 3807557 A1, published on Sep. 28, 1989, describe conventional percussion devices which are considered to be of general relevance to the invention as herein described. The Oliveri, Loendorf, Adinolfi, and Boyden patents, and the German patent document do not suggest a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music according to the claimed invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a vest with piezoelectric transducer(s) for practicing music solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
A musical garment for generating extemporaneous music includes a plurality of interior pockets disposed within two interior portions of the garment for generating extemporaneous music. Rhythmic or creative sound is generated by a user via hand-impact with a selective pocket portion of the garment housing a sound generating piezoelectric transducer electrically connected thereto. Each pocket is configured with a piezoelectric transducer which is sensitized or calibrated to produce a sound having a different sound characteristic (e.g., pitch, volume, amplitude, frequency, or the like) compared with sounds generated from adjacent piezoelectric transducers. A sound generating module may be housed within a professional sound rack system or in miniature form within an auxiliary interior pocket of the garment to provide multiplexed serial output or music for subsequent recording or listening pleasure. The sound generating module may also include inputs for headphones and a microphone for private listening or recording, respectively. Recorded or extemporaneous music is transmitted through an acoustic screen disposed on an exterior surface pocket portion of the auxiliary pocket. When the garment is in use, each interior sound generating pocket of the garment may be secured via hook and loop fasteners.
Accordingly, it is a principal aspect of the invention to provide a musical garment for generating extemporaneous music.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide a musical garment for generating extemporaneous music that includes a first interior portion, a second interior portion, removable transducer means for generating a sound signal, the sound signal being different in at least one sound characteristic for each removable transducer means; interior pockets on the first and second interior portions of the garment, each of the plurality of pockets being electrically configured for receiving one of the removable transducer means, and having a predetermined volume for acoustically producing the sound signals via an induced rhythmically applied pressure force to a distinct plurality of protruding, corresponding exterior surface portions of the garment, thereby generating induced sound signals within said plurality of interior pockets, and a processing means for processing the induced sound signals.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a a musical garment for generating extemporaneous music that includes a first interior portion, a second interior portion, removable transducer means for generating a sound signal, the sound signal being different in at least one sound characteristic for each removable transducer means; interior pockets on the first and second interior portions of the garment, each of the plurality of pockets being electrically configured for receiving one of the removable transducer means, and having a predetermined volume for acoustically producing the sound signals via an induced rhythmically applied pressure force to a distinct plurality of protruding, corresponding exterior surface portions of the garment, thereby generating induced sound signals within said plurality of interior pockets; a processing means for processing the induced sound signals that includes a multiplexed sound generating module, a power source, an amplifier, a recording module, and first and second switching means for respectively supplying sound and power to said amplifier and recorded module; and a processor pocket configured for the processing means, the processor pocket having a predetermined volume and an acoustic screen for acoustically transmitting sound therefrom.
It is an aspect of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a musical garment for generating extemporaneous music for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.